Kerrigan Cress
Biography Kerrigan Cress is the reclusive Witch King of Scott's Swamp, an area which is commonly known as the home of numerous all-female witch covens that live on the fringe of society. Although he walks amongst townsfolk fairly often, Kerrigan is always disguised as a hermit or wanderer - and is quickly dismissed as such. When Kerrigan needs something done that requires a trip to town, he will typically send one of his consorts or courtesans to do his bidding. Perfectly content with the ruling status he holds within the Swamp's witch covens, Kerrigan has no earthly desire to expand, conquer, or destroy. His people are quite content living in the lavish splendor of their camps. While not truly evil, his powers are misunderstood, and are thus greatly feared by the people of Scott's Swamp. The tale of the Witch King is often used as a bedtime story to scare children, and fables of the Witch King's deadly-yet-beautiful courtesans keep travelers from interacting with strange women in Scott's Swamp's taverns. Appearance Kerrigan will live to be roughly 1000 before his tenure as Witch King ends, meaning that he will retain the appearance of a young adult man until then. He is tall, pale, and handsome, with a graceful stride and eloquent speech befitting of his true age. He bears sad, red eyes, which contrast the purple stitching on his surcoat, which is halfway covered by a black cloak, and pinned with a silver raven. To a passerby, he would look like royalty from some odd, faraway kingdom. He is often accompanied (and always preceded) by his familiar, a large raven named Anzú. Rather than lose his composure and elegance, he has the raven speak for him when he feels he's about to lose his patience among company. Companionship Kerrigan, while always in the company of dozens of witches and servants, counts but one true friend in his long life - a man by the name of Nicky Lemonfists. Kerrigan met Nicky while traveling in the Suffering Coast, and found something endearing about the man's limited intellect but effectiveness in combat. Kerrigan knew that his advanced intelligence yet lacking physical strength was perfectly balanced by Nicky, and so the two became inseparable ever since. During the Return of the Dragons, Kerrigan and Nicky were both dispatched by leaders of the metallic dragons, who flung them both into extra-dimensional portals, separating them for the first time in years. They both wandered the voids of the outer planes for years before finding one another, where they returned to the Suffering Coast to come to the aid of the Sons of the Coast. Almost a century later, Kerrigan realized that he was coming close to outliving his human best friend, and chose to become an advisor to the Lemon King in his latter days at court in his newly-built kingdom of Lemonster. Kerrigan remains a personal friend to the royal family in Lemonster (though he's since returned to his home in Scott's Swamp), and swore an oath to Nicky on his deathbed that he would protect his descendants just as he and Nicky protected one another.